Re-Registration Period Now Open for Hondurans With Temporary Protected Status

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announces today that current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Honduras’ designation who want to maintain their status through the effective termination date of Jan. 5, 2020, must re-register between June 5, 2018, and Aug. 6, 2018.

Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization documents, have been published in the Federal Register and on uscis.gov/tps.

All applicants must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. Applicants may also request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by submitting a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at the time of filing Form I-821, or separately at a later date. Both forms are free for download on USCIS’ website at uscis.gov/tps.

USCIS will issue new EADs with a Jan. 5, 2020 expiration date to eligible Honduran TPS beneficiaries who timely re-register and apply for EADs. Given the timeframes involved with processing TPS re-registration applications, however, USCIS recognizes that not all re-registrants will receive new EADs before their current EADs expire. Accordingly, USCIS has automatically extended the expiration date on EADs issued under the TPS designation of Honduras for 180 days, through Jan. 1, 2019. This automatic extension includes individuals who have EADs with an expiration date of Jan. 5, 2018, and who applied for a new EAD during the last re-registration period but have not yet received their new EADs.

On May 4, 2018, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced her determination that the statutory conditions supporting Honduras’ TPS designation on the basis of an environmental disaster are no longer met. Secretary Nielsen made her decision to terminate TPS for Honduras after reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies. To allow time for an orderly transition, she delayed the effective date of the termination by 18 months from the current expiration date of July 5, 2018. As a result of the delayed effective date, Honduras’ TPS designation will end on Jan. 5, 2020.

Hondurans with TPS may wish to consult with qualified immigration attorneys or practitioners about their eligibility for another immigration status or benefit, or whether there is any other action they may want to take regarding their individual immigration circumstances.